Cleaning Tips

Scrape any debris off, apply WD-40 to the stain and let it sit for about 7 minutes. Then loosen crayon using a stiff bristle brush and wipe it with a terry cloth. Rub liquid dishwashing detergent in the stained area and wipe it with a terry cloth. Rinse with a damp sponge and allow it to air dry. We recommend to use a professional carpet cleaner to avoid any complications. Visit our Useful Links page for a referral.

• Closets: Give old clothes and furniture to charity. Vacuum floors. Dust shelves. Hang cedar blocks to freshen the areas.
• A house that smells fresh will give the impression of cleanliness. Leave baking soda on carpeting for the night to absorb musty odors, vacuum in the morning.
• Make everyone in charge of making his or her own bed and picking up their stuff.
• Keep a basket in the kitchen for the mail, newspaper, car keys to help with clutter.

First, make sure the floor around the fireplace is well covered with dropcloths. Mix a solution of high-alkaline cleaner and one ounce of chlorine bleach per gallon of warm water. . Wet the surface of the fireplace well with the solution, but don't use so much that it runs. Dirty water running down the face may cause hard-to-remove streaks. Then scrub the solution in with a brush. You should see the suds getting dark and dirty as the buildup comes off. Rinse well. If the surface is shadowy, a light cleaning with a phosphoric acid cleaner may be enough to brighten it the rest of the way. Don't use any acid stronger than phosphoric as it will damage the brick or stone.

If you're not comfortable taking these kinds of chances with your facing, please see our Useful Links page; you may want to call in a professional chimney sweep.

Clean colored grout with a heavy-duty cleaner and a grout brush, but don't use bleach because this may remove the color from the grout. Be sure never to use a bleaching solution on colored grout. A masonry sealer can be applied to clean, colored grout to ward off future stains.

Consider using a professional cleaning service for those extra-difficult jobs, or when you simply don’t have time to do it yourself.

Hard-water deposits are alkaline, so an acid-based cleaner is the best way to clean them. Phosphoric acid works well and is safe for most surfaces. Grocery store cleansers with phosphoric acid contain 4 percent to 6 percent acid. You can purchase lime scale removers at janitorial supply stores that contain 8 percent to 12 percent acid to get the job done faster. A higher concentration of acid is safe on most household surfaces as long as you rinse the surface to remove all traces of the acid after the cleaning is complete. Let the acid sit for a few minutes after you apply it to let it work. Tough hard-water deposits may take more than one application. Scrub the applied areas with a white, nylon-backed scrub sponge. Make sure you read any manufacturer's warnings before applying phosphoric acid solutions to surfaces in your home.

Consider using a professional cleaning service for those extra-difficult jobs, or when you simply don’t have time to do it yourself.

If your cabinets are plastic laminate (formica or other plastic), metal, painted metal or glass, you can wash them all over with a strong alkaline cleaner, which is available at a janitorial supply store. Or use a heavy-duty cleaner from the supermarket. Mix according to directions and apply the solution with a sponge. Let it sit a minute or two, then take a white, nylon-backed sponge and scrub wherever necessary. Remove the grimy suds from the sponge by squeezing it into the sink or a slop bucket, never back into your cleaning solution. Then rinse with a damp cloth and wipe dry with a cleaning cloth to remove any last traces of scum and leave the cupboards clean and glowing.

Never use acids or powdered cleansers on cabinets. A good overall washing once a year should be enough. Keep a spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner handy the rest of the time and spot-clean after heavy kitchen use.

No-wax/linoleum floors: Vacuum or sweep; then damp mop with water and all purpose cleaner or liquid dish soap. If the floor has some tough spots to clean, use a white, nylon-backed scrub sponge.

If polished marble or granite is protected with floor finish, the finish must be buffed or burnished and periodically replaced to keep the surface protected and looking good.

Because marble and granite are sensitive and porous, they need to be cleaned with a neutral cleaner solution and then polished dry. Scratched and dull surfaces can be revived with a marble restorer (available from janitorial supply stores).

Cultured marble and certain types of granite are stronger than real marble and stone, but they do lose their luster after being cleaned for years. Clean with a spray bottle filled with all-purpose or disinfectant cleaner and a soft cloth. Always keep the area wet while working. Never use powdered cleansers, steel wool, metal scrapers or colored scrub pads on cultured marble or granite. If the surface is worn and looks dull even after cleaning, polishing compound may bring back the glow. A little appliance wax, car wax or silicone sealer will also help fill fine scratches and restore the shine.

Consider using a professional cleaning service click on our Useful Links page for referrals.

Every six months (spring and fall), vacuum mattresses and spring boxes in the house to remove dust mites. Wash sheets in hot water. Get help flipping the mattresses to avoid injuries.

• Sanitize garbage cans.
• Clean out the refrigerator
• Shampoo carpets every 6 months.
• Wipe wood work regularly
• Rub halved lemons on cutting boards, rinse with cold water to clean and destroy cutting board odors.

The manufacturers of Pergo recommend damp mopping at least once a week and sweeping or vacuuming with an attachment more often if you are concerned about scratches.

Do not use soaps or detergents because they may leave a film, dulling the floor. Difficult spots like nail polish, markers, tar and cigarette burns can be removed with acetone or nail polish remover. Pergo floors must never be waxed, polished, sanded or refinished.

Consider using a professional cleaning service for those extra-difficult jobs, or when you simply don’t have time to do it yourself.

Salt is another cleanser that is useful as a soak and mild abrasive. It is also known to kill germs and preserve foods.

If you smoke in the home, change the filter in their air circulation systems often. Also, make sure you let the sun in to help dissipate smoke and other odors as you try to eliminate the cause. Try to increase air flow by opening windows, turning on fans or even putting particularly smelly items outside for awhile. You can fill small dishes with vanilla, vinegar or activated charcoal for an easy, inexpensive smoke eater. Or, you can purchase odor neutralizer from a janitorial supply house which will work more effectively.

For all odors, the first thing you should do is to remove the cause of the odor.

To remove smoke film from washable surfaces, use a solution of heavy-duty cleaner or degreaser. A dash of water-soluble deodorizer from a janitorial supply store added to the solution will help neutralize the odor. For smoky windows, add one part isopropyl alcohol to five parts window cleaner to help cut the oily film. Upholstered furniture, draperies and carpeting can be wet- or dry-cleaned, as appropriate, after a thorough vacuuming, with water-soluble deodorizer added to the cleaning solution to control residual smoke odor. Light smoke film on acoustic ceiling tile can be removed by professional ceiling cleaners.

Since preventing soap scum build-up is a lot easier than cleaning it, squeegee water off shower walls and doors after every use or wipe them down with a towel. For tile walls or frosted shower doors, apply a light coating of lemon oil periodically to help prevent build-up. For a porcelain tub, apply a light coat of boat or car wax to the sides (never the bottom) of the tub.

If it's too late for prevention, use a degreasing agent and lots of elbow grease. Get a good alkaline soap scum remover at a janitorial supply store or dissolve a handful of automatic dishwasher detergent in a bucket of warm water. Cover the affected area completely and let your cleaning solution soak for at least 15 minutes. Do it right after a shower when the walls will be wet. After soaking, use a stiff scrub brush or a white, nylon-backed scrub sponge to clean the walls. You may need to soak and scrub a couple of times to get rid of all the build-up. Then rinse well with clear water.

The earlier you attack this problem, the easier it will be to remove the ring. A thorough cleaning with a commercial acid-based bowl cleaner may do the trick. If the bowl cleaner doesn't work, try using a green, nylon-backed scrub sponge along with the acid. For an old ring, use a pumice stone. Wet the stone with the water in the bowl and rub it on the ring. Keep the stone wet the entire time you're scrubbing. Pumice stones should only be used on vitreous china toilets - never on colored, enamel or plastic fixtures. Once you've gotten rid of a ring, weekly cleanings should keep it from coming back.

Consider using a professional cleaning service for those extra-difficult jobs, or when you simply don’t have time to do it yourself.

• To dust papered walls, tie a dust cloth over your broom and work from the top down.
• To remove pencil marks and other non-greasy spots from non-washable papers, use an art-gum eraser or a slice of fresh rye bread.
• To remove greasy spots, crayon marks and food stains; apply a paste of cleaning fluid and fuller's earth, cornstarch or whiting. Let dry and brush off. Repeat the treatment until the spot is gone.
• To prevent splash marks when you're washing baseboards or other woodwork, mask wallpaper with a wide ruler, venetian blind-slat or a piece of rigid plastic.
• When you save scraps of wallpaper for patching, tack them to a wall in the attic or closet. When you use them for repairs, they won't look so brand new.

Consider using a professional cleaning service for those extra-difficult jobs, or when you simply don't have time to do it yourself.

If the fabric is non-washable, gently scratch off the stain (which is made up of mineral deposits) with your fingernail. If that doesn’t work; hold the spot over a steaming teakettle until well-dampened. As it dries, rub the stain, working from its outer edges toward the center.

When you have to leave your car outside overnight in the winter, mix 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and coat the windows with this solution. This vinegar and water combination will keep windshields ice and frost-free.

Vacuum and mop regularly to prevent dirt from building up and damaging the surface. Any wood floor can be cleaned with a quarter-cup of apple cider vinegar mixed with a gallon of warm water. Wood floors are best cleaned on your hands and knees because you should only clean a small area at a time and then dry it and move on. Never get wood floors too wet or allow them to dry naturally. Finished wood floors often can be cleaned just with water. However, the finish will eventually wear off, and you'll either have to re-finish the floors or start waxing them.

Consider using a professional cleaning service for those extra-difficult jobs, or when you simply don’t have time to do it yourself.

To remove stubborn dirt, wash around all the handles and any other grease zones first with hand dishwashing detergent. Then, wash the entire cabinet, including the handle areas with an oil soap solution. Just wipe lightly with the solution and buff dry immediately with a cleaning cloth. Always wipe dry with any grain or pattern. If your cabinets are dull from wear or age, spray furniture polish very lightly once a year or so to fill in the pores to bring back some life.

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This information is provided for informational purposes only. Maids by Trade does not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided. This information may have errors. This information is provided "AS IS". User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. Should you choose to use any information provided you agree that Maids by Trade will assume no liability for any damages that may occur as a result of the use of this information. Maids by Trade is not liable for any consequential, incidental, indirect, or special damages. The use of this information indemnifies us from all claims.